


Breathing Room

by ThatwasJustaDream



Series: Feb 2017 'Celebrations' Bingo Card [6]
Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Community: 1-million-words, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 05:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9976826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatwasJustaDream/pseuds/ThatwasJustaDream
Summary: A room away, a wedding's about to go down. But right now... Harvey needs one last dose of breathing room.





	

The antechamber’s huge windows are framed in oak casings; the glass in them polished perfectly, the city bustling three floors below. But even though he is facing out one of them, eyes on the middle distance, Harvey sees none of it.

He doesn't even hear the door to the ballroom snicking open, heels tapping his way, until she speaks.

“It’s almost show time,” Jessica’s tone is teasing, but with something back there that said she gets it - why he needed to be alone for a few minutes, and how very much he didn’t want his own emotions to ruin Mike’s on this day. “Ready, champ? You’re expected stage right in about three minutes. Everyone’s seated, and the judge arrived, so…..”

“He has no idea…” Harvey blurted it, voice low and tight. “Tell me he has no idea; that he’s good, and he’s happy. I need to know that, or I…. I’m not sure I can walk out there.”

“He has no idea,” Jessica’s tone was firmer, the hand she set on Harvey’s shoulder equally so. “You can do this; be there for him though a simple, twenty minute ceremony. Then you can get back to your life, your work. Hold on to that thought and… you’ll do fine, Harvey. You’ll do him proud.”

The wedding had been kept small in deference to the one that never happened. And to everything that had come to pass since; prison bars and broken hearts, reunions full of doubt, and decisions disagreed with - fought over with angry, bitter words. Hearts had mended, though; decisions had been made, promises of ‘forever, this time’ shared.

And here they were. Well….most of them.

Jessica hadn’t planned to fly back for it - had sent a very nice gift and regrets. Then Harvey called her, on the verge of his first panic attack in… what? Three years, nearly.

“Have you got the ring?” She asked him, and Harvey nodded, visibly rousing and steeling himself, patting a pants pocket, eyes going toward the door to the Chilton’s ballroom. “Good. ‘Cause you’re gonna need that.”

“No,” Harvey said, drawing it out and handing it to her. “You’ll need it, won’t you, if you’re going to do your job right. …as you always do. Although, I don’t know where you’re going to hold it until the big moment; I doubt you have a pocket sewn into that very beautiful suit.”

It was beautiful; dove grey silk, a frilly ivory shirt under the jacket, fitted with an ever-so-slightly flared skirt. More sedate than usual for her - clearly Jessica got that the “Best Person” shouldn’t upstage the grooms.

“C’mon,” She slid the ring on her thumb and tucked it under her fingers, her other arm going back around his shoulder. “Let’s get you married.”

-*-

“I panicked, these last few days,” Harvey told him. “The worst attacks I’ve had in….so long.”

This wasn’t how he’d planned to say his vows, and it clearly wasn’t what people expected to hear; there was a soft murmur of reaction behind him, and Donna was blinking back tears, suddenly, swaying slightly where she stood as Mike’s Best Person. It felt like the only way, though, to slay the monster; the one that had given him so many nightmares lately - of the two of them failing, again; him hurting Mike or Mike giving up on him, hating him forever this time and … gone. 

Mike was the only one who didn’t even blink - standing there by him in front of the judge, a hand subtly reaching for his. Harvey took it. It helped.

“It’s only now that I get why I did,” Harvey went on. “It’s because what we say at these things? That we’ll love, honor, cherish until death? It’s terrifying, especially for those of us who swore it off a long time ago. I think part of me is still afraid of ever hurting the biggest heart and most beautiful mind I’ve ever met. But you’ve changed me so much, Mike, that there’s only one direction to go - and it’s forward with you. So …of course I promise to love, honor and cherish. I expect I’ll still be an overbearing ass, sometimes, too. But my focus will always be on us. And on making sure you are so… seen ….that you feel so safe and loved that you’re never lonely another moment in your life - no matter what happens.”

Now it was Mike who was swaying; blinking and squinting around tears, and for a second Harvey was worried for him. But of course, his boy came through with a mood breaker.

“Oh, you son of a bitch,” Mike said and laughter flitted through the room, all around their guests; even the judge cracked a smile. “I …knew you were going to trash the prepared vows. I knew it. Okay, so….here’s something I realized this week: I told you a long time ago that you made me want to start trusting somebody new. But I didn’t really trust you, not a hundred percent. I seemed to keep trying to dash us on the rocks - like a test, to find out if you’d come back or let me walk away. And even when you did come back…. well, none of us is promised tomorrow, are we? So, yes … ‘terrifying’ is a good word for this. But… .I choose to give my battered heart to you. And I promise…I do trust you, now. And I’ll never break your trust. You’re a thousand percent safe with me, Harvey.”

-*-

The reception was so much fun, the hotel management had to practically usher everyone out that night. It was larger than expected, too: Their work friends were there, of course, and Harvey’s family (present, but about as unsupportive of him as ever in Mike’s annoyed opinion). They were augmented by people they’d met as a couple these last three years; book and wine club friends, volunteer group friends, some people from upstate - neighbors at their condo. They were kind of amazed to find they had so many to invite. 

‘Almost like we have…a life,’ Mike had noted as they drew up the list, and Harvey had shrugged like ‘who knew?’

They’d ditched a lot of the traditional reception moments; there was a band playing standards and some jazz, but no first dances of any kind- people just got up and danced as they felt like it. There had been fond but simple speeches from Louis and Jessica that got the room smiling and some laughs and applause. The cake arrived on plates at dessert time; no multi-tiered monstrosity with two grooms on top. Harvey had rolled his eyes and put his foot down on that one with a “no, no….nope.’ Mike had probably only been joking about wanting one, anyway.

There was one tradition they couldn’t escape, though - because the guests had glasses of water, and….silverware.

“Oh, Gawd….they want us to kiss again,” Mike nodded behind him toward the growing sounds of forks and spoons against crystal. “What do you think? Make ‘em wait?”

They were at the head table; chairs close and leaned in toward each other, trying to share a quiet conversation. Mike watched something dawn on Harvey that made him smile - wide and warm and a little … a lot devilish.

“Yeah, make ‘em wait….then give them a big, deep, wet one. Make ‘em sorry they even asked….”

“Did you ever think…” Mike reached in a touch, eyes going from Harvey’s lips to his eyes and back. “….we’d ever kiss so many times in an hour… in front of so many people?”

“Hell, no,” Harvey reached in too, not much more, chuckling at the rising crescendo of tinkling glasses. “Don’t get used to PDA’s okay? This may be it for a while, for me.”

It got some laughter, applause and at least one wolf-whistle when they both dove in and went to town on each other; a dead-on, over the top Hollywood kiss.

“That ought to hold them….” Harvey said when they came up for air, still so close, though, Mike looking up at him.

“I knew,” Mike said. “The last few weeks, I’ve known you were, uh… working through some things about today.”

“You did? Why didn’t you say something?” Harvey sat back, eyes still on him, enjoying the luxury of staring at him adoringly in public and ignoring everyone else in the room. “What gave it away?”

“Well, Jessica showing up was the topper. But… I could see it. I figured there are some things I can help you with and some that you need to work through on your own. And I knew if you couldn’t… then you’d come to me. It’s been nerve-wracking, but I decided to have faith, Harvey. I knew we’d be okay. Like you said in our vows…only one way forward.”

“I love you, Mike.”

Harvey didn’t need the clatter of silver on glass to prompt him to reach in for one more kiss.

“I love you, too. Want to get started on visiting the tables now?”

“Not really,” Harvey said. “Not in the mood to share you right now. More in the mood to….”

“The sooner we visit with everyone…the sooner we can leave for the airport and that stupidly posh resort you booked us.”

“Sold,” Harvey was up before him, extending a hand. “You’re going to love it there.”

“I think I will,” Mike took it, pulling himself up to stare a little dash of heat into Harvey’s eyes. “I heard there’s some gorgeous, hot-shot legal eagle type staying there all week.”

“Yeah, but…enough about you,” Harvey said. “C’mon, M.S….”

“I’m not changing my name, Harvey.”

“Just…think about it.”

-fin-

**Author's Note:**

> PS - I love my Marvey together but living apart - but a short fic seemed like a nice place to get them married. ;)


End file.
